1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to torque transfer assemblies for motor vehicles, and more particularly to a torque transfer assembly having an electronically controlled hydraulic actuator including an electromagnet actuated variable pressure relief valve.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Torque applied to a tire through a drive shaft propels a vehicle by the friction between the tire and the surface of the road for the vehicle. Occasionally, slip takes place between the road surface and the tire. The ratio of the slip depends on the coefficient of friction between the tire and the road surface. The coefficient of friction fluctuates due to the states of the road surface and the tire, the grounding load upon the tire, the magnitude of the torque transmitted to the tire, the driving speed of the vehicle, and so forth.
As for an ordinary two-wheel-drive vehicle, high torque is transmitted to each driving wheel through a transmission at the start of the vehicle so that a large slip could take place between the road surface and the tire of the wheel. The torque transmitted through the transmission decreases as the driving speed of the vehicle rises, so that the ratio of the slip falls.
When the torque transmitted to the tire is so high that the tire slips, the torque does not fully act to propel the vehicle, resulting in wasted motive power, lowered fuel efficiency, and adverse vehicle handling.
When the fluctuation in the coefficient of friction is large or the coefficient of friction is very small, as on a muddy road, a partially icy road, a snowy road, a graveled road, or the like, the stability of movement of the vehicle is reduced and the stopping distance increases in the case of locking of the wheel in braking. Moreover, it is sometimes difficult to maintain the direction of movement of the vehicle in the case of locking of the rear wheel (in particular, in braking).
For the above-mentioned reasons, four-wheel-drive vehicles have become popular vehicles for driving on a wide range of road conditions. In four-wheel-drive vehicles, the driving power of an engine is dividedly transmitted to four wheels to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks and problems.
Since a rotation speed difference arises between the front and rear wheels of the four-wheel-drive vehicle due to the turning radius difference between the front and the rear wheels at the time of turning of the vehicle, torsional torque is caused (a tight corner braking phenomenon) between the drive shafts for the front and the rear wheels if the turning is performed on a high-friction-coefficient road (such as a paved road), on which the driving wheel and the surface of the road are less likely to slip relative to each other. For that reason, different types of four-wheel-drive vehicles have been developed in order to prevent the deterioration of the moving property of each vehicle due to the torsional torque, the increase in the wear of the tire, the shortening of the life of the vehicle, and so forth.
One of the different types of four-wheel-drive vehicles is a part time four-wheel-drive vehicle in which the driver shifts from the four-wheel drive mode to the two-wheel drive mode when running on a high-friction-coefficient road such as a paved road. Another type of four-wheel-drive vehicle is a full time-four-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive vehicle equipped with a center differential unit for dividedly transmitting motive power to a front and a rear wheel drive shafts. Another type of four-wheel-drive vehicle is a full time-four-wheel-drive vehicle in which the front or rear wheels are always driven and in which the rear or front wheels are driven through a viscous clutch which transmits torque by the viscosity of silicone oil or the like.
Although the part time-four-wheel-drive vehicle can be manufactured at a relatively low cost, it is troublesome to shift between the two-wheel drive and the four-wheel drive and it is likely that the vehicle is slowly turned when the driver mistakenly fails to properly choose between four-wheel drive and two-wheel drive. It is less likely that every driver can precisely predict the occurrence of slip of the driving wheel and take appropriate action.
Full time-four-wheel-drive vehicle, that are equipped with the center differential unit, have a front wheel drive differential unit, which dividedly transmits motive power to the right and left front wheels, and a rear wheel drive differential unit, which dividedly transmits motive power to the right and left rear wheels. These full-time four-wheel-drive vehicles suffer from a problem that no motive power is transmitted to any of the remaining three of four driving wheels when one wheel is caused to spin or loses the tire grip due to overhanging on the road side or ditch, a slip on an icy road, or the like. For that reason, the center differential unit is provided with a differential locking mechanism. The differential locking mechanism is of the mechanical type or the electronic control type. In the mechanical type, a differential rotation which takes place in the center differential unit is stopped through manual shifting when no motive power is transmitted to the three of the four driving wheels in order to put the vehicle into the state of direct-connection four-wheel drive. In the electronic control type, the speed of the vehicle, the angle of turning of the vehicle, the racing of the drive shaft, and so forth are detected by sensors in order to put the differential locking mechanism into a locking or unlocking state through an electronic controller. As for the mechanical type, it is difficult to set a differential locking start time point, the time point cannot be changed depending on the moving condition of the vehicle, and it is more difficult to automate the differential locking mechanism. As for the electronic control type, a device for controlling the differential locking mechanism is more complex and the cost of production of the mechanism is very high.
Since the center differential unit comprises an input shaft which receives motive power transmitted from an engine through a transmission, a differential case connected to the input shaft, a pinion shaft which is driven by the differential case, pinions rotatably attached to the peripheral surface of the pinion shaft, a first side gear which is engaged with the pinion and connected to a first differential means for driving the front or rear wheels, a second side gear which is engaged with the pinion and connected to a second differential means for driving the rear or front wheels, and the differential locking mechanism which engages the differential case and the side gear with each other through mechanical operation or electronic control, the cost of production of the center differential unit is very high and the weight of the vehicle is increased.
It is also known to replace the aforementioned center differential with a torque transmission coupling that includes an input shaft drivingly connected to the transmission and a first differential, an output shaft drivingly connected to a second differential, an oil pump driven by the relative rotation between the input and the output shafts to generate oil pressure corresponding to the speed of the relative rotation, and a friction clutch mechanism engaging the input shaft and the output shaft with each other by the oil pressure generated by the oil pump. The torque transmitted by the torque coupling is proportional to the speed of the relative rotation. When the rotation speed of the wheels driven by the first differential is higher than that of the wheels driven by the second differential, a rotation speed difference takes place between the input and the output shafts. The oil pump generates the oil pressure corresponding to that rotation speed difference. The oil pressure is applied to the friction clutch mechanism so that torque is transmitted from the input shaft to the output shaft depending on the magnitude of the oil pressure. When torque is transmitted to the second differential, the rotation speed of the wheels drivingly connected to the second differential is raised to approach that of the wheels driven by the first differential, thereby reducing the rotation speed difference between the input and the output shafts. In short, the torque transmission coupling operates in response to the rotation speed difference that takes place depending on the environmental situation of the vehicle and the moving conditions thereof. In other words, a prescribed slip is always allowed.
The conventional torque coupling assemblies, however, suffer from drawbacks inherent in their assembly and location within the vehicle drivetrain. Conventional torque coupling assemblies are installed in the transfer case or in-line with the driveline or driveshaft.
The need therefore exists for a torque coupling assembly that eliminates the need for a center differential in the transfer case, i.e. an interaxle differential, thereby reducing the driveline complexity and cost without requiring a separate torque coupling in the transfer case or in-line with the driveline.
Recent advances in vehicle control may require the disabling of the limited slip feature of the torque transfer device at moderate to high speeds. There is a need to disable the limited slip feature of the hydraulic torque transfer coupling assembly during specified conditions to ensure proper performance of the devices like yaw stability control while also allowing the limited slip feature to be enabled at other specified conditions where traction may be needed.
The need exists for an external control of the hydraulic pressure generated within an hydraulically actuated torque transfer devices in which torque transfer can either be turned on or off, or set at any intermediate condition by controlling the maximum system hydraulic pressure limit.